Categories
Close
Menu
Menu
Close
Search
Search

Featured Articles

Mobile users would rather drop calls than miss messages, says Ofcom research
News

Mobile users would rather drop calls than miss messages, says Ofcom research

Mark

WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app among UK adults

Share:

Print

Rate article:

No rating
Rate this article:
No rating
UK communications regulator Ofcom has published a report looking at the use of online communication services (OCS), comparing their usage with conventional mobile phone calls and text messages. The report reveals that WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app among UK adults, with 76% of respondents having used it in the past three months. Facebook Messenger and Instagram were the second and third most popular messaging apps, with 53% (Messenger) and 22% (Instagram) of respondents using them in the past three months.

Between 2012 and 2022, the total number of text messages sent annually in the UK fell from 151 billion to 36 billion (SMS and MMS). Over the same period, the number of online messages sent in the UK rose from 100 billion a year to over 1.3 trillion.

Around two thirds of UK adults (65%) say WhatsApp is their main online communication service, followed by Facebook Messenger (18%) and Apple iMessage (6%).

58% of UK adults said they would rather go without mobile phone calls for 24 hours than go without their favourite messaging apps.

However, mobile phone voice calls remain a popular way to keep in touch. Between 2012 and 2022, the amount of time spent making mobile phone calls increased from 132 billion minutes to 170 billion minutes, with 83% of UK adults having made a mobile call in the last three months.

[Ofcom news release]

Comments

Collapse Expand Comments (0)
You don't have permission to post comments.

Opinion Articles

ExclusiveThe positive cult of giffgaff

Mark Bridge writes:

Wouldn't it be great if mobile customers loved their networks so much that they'd fight for them?  Ofcom would be inundated with complaints from O2 users about its decision not to allow GSM frequencies to be used for 3G services. Vodafone customers would demand that Nokia pre-loaded the N8 with a Vodafone 360 application. Orange users would be sending petitions to radio stations, asking them to implement HD Voice on phone-ins. And giffgaff users would take to online forums to defend the service they receive.

Oh, hang on. That last one's already happening.

ExclusiveLet's stop being so girly about mobile phones

Mark Bridge writes:

I remember the 1980s. In fact, I rather enjoyed them. Hang on a sec, hear me out. There really was some good stuff there – not least the renaissance of "sisters doin' it for themselves". Oh, and the launch of the UK's first cellular mobile phone network.

RSS
First9091929395979899Last

Recent Podcasts

ExclusivePodcast from Mobile World Congress 2015

Mark Bridge learns about the mobile technology trends at Mobile World Congress 2015 by chatting to James Rosewell of 51Degrees, Dr Kevin Curran from the IEEE and Chris Millington of Doro.

They talk about wearable devices, wireless charging, mobile operating systems and much more... including some of their favourite products from the exhibition.

ExclusiveLooking back at February: from security scares to multiple MVNOs

We're taking a look back at the biggest mobile industry news stories from February 2015, including allegations that the UK's security service tried to breach SIM card security by hacking into one of the world's biggest SIM producers.

We also talk about the planned BT and EE merger, the creation of two new UK virtual networks, some acquisitions in the mobile payment arena and a new Ubuntu smartphone.

ExclusiveA month of mobile: O2 counts on 3, Microsoft counts to 10 and Apple counts its profits

We're back with a month of mobile industry news, including takeover talks and takeover rumours. O2 and Three are said to be discussing a merger... but is there any truth in the suggestions that BlackBerry could be up for grabs?

We also discuss Apple's record-breaking quarterly figures, the highlights of CES and the launch of Microsoft Windows 10, as well as saying farewell to the current version of Google Glass.

RSS
12345678910Last

Follow thefonecast.com

Archive Calendar

«June 2026»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
25262728293031
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293012345

Archive